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Robotized automatic wheel-rim assembly line
MO.S.A.I.C.

MO.S.A.I.C. has completely designed and manufactured a robotized automatic wheel-rim assembly line. It is a totally automatized assembly system between wheel and rim, with a heterogeneous manufacturing system featuring six types of rims with different geometrical features, supported by a one-of-a-kind DOT (Department of Transportation) system for the product tracking code.

The main feature of the line is its capacity to achieve a top-quality assembled product with identical features (if not better) to those of specialized workshops.

Following in-depth feasibility studies in the various planning sectors – mechanical, electric, software and robotic – MO.S.A.I.C. gave life to a line that assembles tires with their respective rims, ready to be mounted directly onto the automobiles.

Correct tire pressure, an exact fit on the rim and precise balancing all contribute to a top-quality product. The cycle is completed by the ability to apply labels onto each tire, guaranteeing traceability and high quality standards.

The line is divided into five main areas: OP05, OP10, OP20, OP30, OP60, explained below.
In the first part (OP05), tires are automatically loaded from a bin onto the roller conveyor. This process is controlled by a robot equipped with a vision and sensor system that allows identification of the stacks and the tire diameter before placing them on the motorized roller conveyor.

The second station (OP10) is more complex and consists of three parts: a heating tunnel, a soaping station and a fitting station.

In the heating tunnel there is a PID controller managed by a line PLC, which controls an innovative device with a connection to heating lamps. This tunnel brings the tires to temperature to help make them more manipulable in the fitting phase.

At the end of the tunnel, the DOT (Department of Transportation) system checks the size of the tire and matches the data with that of the recipe in production.

The innovative DOT system also detects the angular x coordinate of a label affixed to the tire shoulder and sends it to the robot, which must ensure a match with the homologous label on the rim.
The soaping station is where the tire is moistened with saponin and deposited onto the rim in the fitting station. The tire then moves from the manual loading station to the inspection station, where it is moistened and then prepares to reach the fitting station.

The coupling between tire and rim is carried out by the fitting robot on one side and by a controlled axis system on the other. Once assembled, the pair reach the inflating station.

Another innovative aspect of this line is the inflating station (OP20-OP30), which is truly the line’s beating heart and the result of careful mechanical design. Since cycle times are low, conventional inflation would not be possible. To solve this problem, MO.S.A.I.C. developed a system in which the air is blown under pressure from an inflation ‘bell’ and penetrates the gap between the tire shoulder and the bead of the rim in just under five seconds.

The bell can be assimilated into a revolver that rotates around its axis and prepares itself for the inflation of six types of tires from 17-22in in diameter.

After the inflating station, a checking station controls the tire pressure. Negative resulting tires are automatically ejected out of the line to be placed and subsequently reintegrated through a prepared roller conveyor.

At the end of the line, the last station (OP60) checks for the presence of the data matrix on the tire. An automatic palletizing station then loads the assembled products onto pallets housed in a three-position turnstile, thanks to an anthropomorphic manipulator.

Booth: 3001

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